The invention relates to an assembly of an air guide on a structural component of a motor vehicle, and a corresponding vehicle.
The function of an air guide of this kind is to channel the air entering through at least one ventilation opening or grille in the front end or front apron skin of the vehicle, in order to guide it to a set of components combined in what is referred to as a “cooling case”. This term is used to denote the set of components required for engine cooling which are sometimes stacked in layers or partially superposed. The cooling case is traditionally made up of the engine cooling water radiator, possibly of the air/air exchanger (charge air cooler [Refroidisseur Air Suralimentation—RAS]) and of the condenser.
The term of art “functional front end” (face avant technique, FAT) denotes a structure located in front of the engine block, the function of which is to support different elements, principally the radiator of the engine block. The functional front end may take on multiple forms. In certain cases, it is limited to a single cross-member. In other cases, it constitutes a chassis of more or less complex design, incorporating the cooling case. The functional front end incorporates different functions, such as the hood stop support, hood lock support or a leg supporting the hood lock, etc.
The air guide is usually fastened by fastening means onto a structural component of the functional front end. These fastening means comprise a receiving part extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle and integral with the functional front end, and a clipping finger received in a hole in the receiving part extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and integral with the air guide. To the extent that the receiving part extends transversely to the vehicle, in the event of a small frontal impact and breakage of the clipping finger, the air guide comes to stop against this receiving part and therefore rests on the functional front end and the units that it supports, particularly the radiator. Hence, when the air guide moves back towards the rear of the vehicle following a frontal impact, this support is liable to damage the unit or units supported by the functional front end, even during a small frontal impact. It may then prove necessary to replace these units, which increases the repair costs. The air guide frequently comprises deformable parts which allow part of the impact to be absorbed and damage to the units supported by the functional front end to be limited. However, on account of their fastening function, the zones of the fastening means of the air guide to the functional front end cannot be deformable and thereby form hard points favoring support of the air guide on the functional front end.
There is therefore a need for fastening means of an air guide to a fixed component of the vehicle which allow damage to the parts supported by said fixed component to be limited in the event of an impact against the front end of the vehicle.